Ajax's fifth-place finish was the joint-worst this century and the second-worst since 1965. The Amsterdam giants had three different managers at the helm, were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the League Phase, were knocked out in the KNVB Beker in January, and eventually reached the UEFA Conference League qualifiers after beating FC Utrecht after penalties in Sunday's play-off final.
Speaking with ESPN ahead of Sunday's game, general manager Menno Geelen commented on the 2025-26 season.
"I think, regardless of this afternoon’s result, that this has simply been a sh*t season," Geelen said.
"Excuse my language, but I think that actually applies to everyone at Ajax. And certainly to the fans, who have given us fantastic support throughout the season in Europe - away games, home games, and last Thursday too."
Big unrest
Ajax finished the season with just four wins in the months of February, March, April, and May, excluding this week's play-offs. Amid a whirlwind of criticism, newly-appointed technical director Jordi Cruyff dismissed interim manager Fred Grim and replaced him with Spaniard Óscar García.
With at least three players leaving on expiring contracts and rumours that Cruyff wants to add up to 15 new players to the squad, Geelen admitted it will be a busy summer in Amsterdam.
"I think the coming period is going to be very busy. Especially for our technical staff. Jordi (Cruijff) is working hard, not just on the immediate future, but above all on next season. He’s doing that together with the team around him. We have every confidence that next year we’ll be competing for very different prizes than a place in the play-off final."
Ajax's unrest reached the highest levels of the club, and it's rumoured that Director of Football Marijn Beuker will leave the club for Club Brugge, but Geelen is convinced that peaceful times will soon return.
"I think we now also have a Supervisory Board that is well-structured and comprises many experienced people. All the football committees are well-structured, so we have football people on the Supervisory Board. Of course, we’ve also got a new technical director and technical managers on board. Hopefully, they can make the right decisions together, so that we’re not back here again next year."
Ajax will play in the second round of the UEFA Conference League qualifiers on July 23rd and 30th.